Double-reduction bus axle



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` UNITED STATES WILLARD F. ROCKWELL, OF OSHKOSI, WISCONSIN.

DOUBLE-REDUCTION BUS AXLE.

Application led October 4, 1924. Serial No. 741,693.

To all whom t may concern.' Be it known that I, WILLARD F. Roon- WELL, a citizen of the United States, and

resident of Oshkosh, in thecounty of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double-Reduction Bus Axles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a-full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to double reduction bus axle construction and is particularly directed toa construction eminently suited toheavy truck drives.

Objects of this invention are to provide a double reduction in which a cross shaft is employed and carries a pinion meshing with the main differential gearand is connected by means of suitable gearing with a horizontally extending drive shaft, and to arrange the axes of the drive shaft, the cross shaft and the main axle in the same horizontal plane.

Further objects are to provide a reduction mechanism which permits a low body suspension and which secures maximum road clearance, two highly desirable features in truck construction. l

Further objects are to so form this mechanism that interchanglng of parts may be readily effected and other drives substituted for the preferred drive if it is found desirable under unusual conditions..`

An embodiment of 'the invention is shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through the rear axle and the double reduction mechanism, such view being taken on the line.

` 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 1s a transverse ve tical sectional view on the line'2-2 of Figure l1.

.Figure 3' is aslde elevation of the struc-- ture shown in Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the rear axles 1- are carried in suitable bearings at the outer end ofthe rear axle 4 housing 2 and that this rear axle housing extends in unbroken continuity from one outer bearing to the other outer bearing and is provided at its central portion with an enlarged casing 3. This casing is provided with a forward flat flange 4 correctly and a'ccurately machined to i receive a further portion of the mechanism hereinafter described. The lower portion of the casing j is provided with a filling fitting 5 (see as shown in Figure 2 ,Figure 2) by which; means oil may be readily inserted into the casing of the mechan1sm. If desired, it may be, provided with a dralnplug 6 at its lowest point.

Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that a removable casing indicated generally at 7 is also provided and is equipped with a closure plate 8 which is secured by mea-ns of bolts to the forward flange 4 of the casing 3. This closure plate is preferably provided with' rearwardly projecting positioning flanges 9 which accurately fit correspondingly machined portions of the flanges 4, as shown in Figure 1.

This casing 7 is provided with recessed outwardly projecting bosses 10 which receive the roller 'bearings 11 for the cross shaft 12,l

lwhich receives and houses thedrive shaft 16 which, in accordance wlth the usual practise is connected with the propeller shaft. The cross shaft 12 is splined centrally and rigidly carries a driving pinion 17 and a driven bevel gear 18. These gears are held in place by means of nuts 19, one of which may be a lock nut, and by means of a collar 19 integral with the shaft 12.

A bevel pinion 20 the drive shaft 16, as mayV be seen from Figures 1 and 2, and meshes with the gear 18 on the cross shaft.

As may be seen from Figure`2, the drive shaft 16 is carried by roller bearings 21 and is rigidly carried by' 22 adjacent the -front and rear ends of the of the bearings and is oo -axial with the shaft It isy to be noted that while the bearing 21 iscarried directly by the cylindrical portion 15 of the casing 7 thtihe bearing 22 is carried within a threaded sleeve or gland 24,

' and is held in position by means of an externally threaded locking ring 25, such ring forcing' the outer portion ot the bearing 24 against an 1nwardly directed flange formed on the gland 524. This gland is externally threaded and screws into the cylindrical suitable head 26 befng its manipulation. A pair of internally threaded rings 27 are screwed upon a reduced port-ion of the shat't 1G and one of such rings engages the inner raceway ot' the hearing 22, the other ring' serving as a lock nut. A second gland 2S is screwed into the gland 2l, and the two glands are provided with a tapered walled annular recess tor the reception oi packing 2S) to prevent the. Aentrance ot' grit or the loss ot oil. This gland 28 is provided with a head El() similar to the head 2G of the other gland.

'lhe heads .26 and il() are each provided with a series` of notches 3l which are adapt ed, to receive the forward end 32 of a lock ing lever pivoted to the cylindrical portion 'l5 of the casing 7. This locking lever has its major weight at its forward end, as shown, and thus remains seated in appropriate notches 3l and retains the heads 26 and 30 against rotation.

Further than this, these notches permit the use of a spanner wrench to tighten the heads as desired, it being noted, of course, that the heads may be formed po1ygenal for use with the usual types of wrenches if preferred.

The differential mechanism comprises a pair of shell like members 33 (see Figure l) which carry a. ring gear 34, such ring gear having a reduced portion received between suitably machined flanges integral with the shell members 33 and clamped therebetween by means of bolts These shell members have outwardly projecting sleeves 36 which are received in bearing and supporting lugs 37 and suitable clamping nuts 38 are. screwed upon said sleeves and engage the inner raceway of the roller bearings. The inner ends of the shafts or rear axles l are splined, as shown, and rigidly receive bevel gears 39, such bevel gears meshing with a series of pinions 40`in the usual manner. -Thcse pinions are carried by radial arms 41 carried by a ring 42 revolubly mounted upon inner extensions ot' the shell member 38. These projectingr arms or pms 41 are received in regularly positioned recesses formed in the opposed portions ot the shell like members 33, thus bracing the outer ends ot' the pins in a rigid and substantial manner.

The drive, it will be noted, is from the drive shaft 1G through the bevel pinion 20 to the bevel gear 1'8 through the cross shaft to the pinion 17 and from thence to the main ringl gear 34 of the differential.

It is to be noted that the accurately machined substantially vertical face of the portion 15, a provlded to facilitate flange 4 is an accurate guide plane pcrmitting the correct positioning of the cross shaft l2 in exact parallelism therewith.

lt is to be particularly noted from reference to Figure 2 that the center lines of the rear axles 1 ot the cross shaft 12 and oi' the drive shaft 16 all lie in the same horizontal plane passing through the centers ot' the rear wheels ot' the bus. As is apparent trom lthe detailed description, this construction facilitates assembly in a marked degree. However, it is particularly to be noted that by this invention the straight line assembly ot' parts is attained and two well detined and valuable results are attained, namely, a low body suspension and maximum road clearance. These highlg' desirable results are attained without resorting to diiiicult assemblies or ditlicult mechanism but by providing an extremely simple assembly' and co-relating the parts to provide a straight line arrangement of driving elements as clearly brought out in Figure 2.

A further feature of this straight line assembly is the' ease with which all of the parts are maintained in an adequately oiled condition. None of the lubricant is required to be carried to a high point in the main casing 3 but is merely required to be elevated by the rotating parts to approximately the height of a central plane. This insures the perfect lubrication of all parts in actual practise and does not require a complete flooding of the casing 3 with oil in order to secure this adequate lubrication.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that the invention may be variously em bodied and is, therefore, to be limited only as claimed.

I claim:

1. An axle comprising a load carrying housing; a pair of axially aligned Wheel driving shafts journaled in said housing; a securing and locating section formed on said housing adjacent the inner ends of said wheel driving shafts with an exterior loeating surface in a plane substantially parallel to the axes of said shafts; a primary driving shaft: a gear housing in Iwhich said primary drive shaft is journalled; a locating section on said gear housing shaped to fit said first mentioned locating section and provided with an exterior locating surface substantially perpendicular to the axis of said primary driving shaft and adapted to abut against said fir-st mentioned locating surface to locate said rimary driving shaft with relation to sai wheel driving shafts: a diti'erential drive mechanism for said wheel driving shafts supported from and located by said gear housing; and reduction gearing for said differential meehanism driven by said primary driving shaft shafts are Substantially in n plane with said. vsupported within' said gear housing com-v Wheel driving shafts. prising an intermediate shaftinterposed be- In testimony that I clnim'the foregoing l0 tween said locating surfacesand said pri- I have hereunto set my hand at Oshkosh, 5 mary driving shaft. l in the county of Winnebago and State of 2. The combination as'iset forth in claim Wisconsin. 1 in which said primary and 'intermediate g y W. F. 'RO/CKWELL. 

